On Friday, April 27, the Newseum will open the HP New Media Gallery, an interactive experience that uses the latest technology to allow visitors to physically step into a social network that shows media’s powerful impact on our world. Live Twitter feeds fill touch-screen monitors and connect visitors with trending news stories. The 2,500-square-foot gallery is the first permanent addition to the museum since its grand opening in 2008.
As visitors enter the gallery, they are directed to the “Check-In” area, where they can post photos of themselves to screens in the gallery and comment on events of the day. At two 11-foot-wide interactive touch walls, visitors are encouraged to explore dozens of important news events and viral videos, including the first Twitter reports of the 2008 China earthquake and the Facebook posts that fueled the Egyptian revolution in 2011.
In the “Choose the News” area, visitors can flip through the latest stories and build custom news pages, then publish them to a large video wall. The “Game Zone” features motion-tracking technology that allows visitors to use hand gestures to test their knowledge of social media.
SATURDAY APRIL 28
Fenton Street Market returns to Veterans Plaza in downtown Silver Spring on April 28, from 10:00am – 4:00pm! Every Saturday through October 27, over 60 local vendors a week will showcase their wares: original artwork, handmade and imported crafts, antiques, jewelry, furniture, vintage clothing, unique services such as acupuncture and henna tattoos, and much more. Community programming will include a screen printing demonstration by Pyramid Atlantic, an interactive model train exhibit by the Riverdale Model Train Club, and music by market favorites Snakehead Run and Israel Dempsey. Veterans Plaza is located in front of the Silver Spring Civic Building, at the intersection of Fenton St. and Ellsworth Dr., Silver Spring, MD 20910.
SATURDAY APRIL 28 & SUNDAY APRIL 29
USA Science and Engineering Festival
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.
April 28: 10:00am-6:00pm
April 29: 10:00am-4:00pm
Admission FREE
This huge and awesome free festival which features over 3,000 hands-on science and engineering activities, and more than 100 stage shows on six stages! It’s a science loving family’s dream! Attendees can operate state-of-the-art robots; converse with astronauts, Nobel Laureates, storm chasers, science celebrities like Bill Nye the Science Guy or the MythBusters and even scientists of the past; fly a fighter jet simulator; enter a virtual reality environment, be a CSI agent and so much more. Students can also leave with information about science and engineering scholarships, internships, mentorship and future jobs.
Before you go, be sure to download the FREE USA Science and Engineering Festival App. It lists all activities, stage shows, 36 Featured Authors, and gives you a map and more. The app is available for both iPhone and Android.
Highlight for Young Kids
Visit the PBS Kids Sid the Science Kid Booth for fun hands on activities for children all day, a photo opportunity with the Sid the Science Kid costume character, see Sid the Science Kid will perform his “Science is Everywhere” singalong on the Curie Stage on Saturday at 10:50am and 12:50pm and Sunday at 10:00am and 11:50pm, and be entered to win a Sid the Science Kid collection of merchandise drawing each day.
Also, leave a comment on this post to win one of TWO copies of the Sid’s Backyard Campout DVD! The winners will be randomly drawn in one week.
This Saturday April 28 is FAMILY DAY at Glen Echo Park
Glen Echo Park’s Family Day is full of free events abound from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. including face painting, music and dance performances, magic shows, a youth art exhibition, family dancing, T-Ball Extreme, tours by National Park Service rangers, and more. If you have attended in the past, new to this year’s event is storytelling. There is also cake and lemonade for all.
Family Day marks the opening of the Park’s historic Dentzel Carousel carousel for its 92nd season. Visitors will enjoy many FREE activities, Carousel rides are $1.25/person. The Park’s new Ballroom Café will be open — operated by the Brown Bag — and will serve lots of tasty and healthy fare.
While at Glen Echo Park, head to The Puppet Co. to relax and take in a show!
Pinnochio Thursday at 10 am Saturday at 11:30 am and 1 pm Sunday at 11:30 am and 1 pm
Half life-size rod puppets, performed in the Italian “Commedia del Arte” style, tell Carlo Collodi’s story of what it means to be “real.” Share the trials and tribulations of the little live puppet as he finds in one adventure after another that the “easy way” isn’t always the right way. Deemed, ”One of the most exquisite productions to ever grace our theater,”by the Smithsonian’s Discovery Theater. Running Time: 45 minutes; Recommended: K through Grade 6. Tickets $10.
Tiny Tots – Mother Goose Caboose Saturday at 10 am -Geared towards tots age 0-4. The Tiny Tots program is designed for the youngest theater patrons. The lights stay on, the doors stay open, and everyone has a great time! All individuals must have a ticket, including babes-in-arms. Tickets $5.
Mother Goose introduces us to her friends, including Leonardo the Lion, in the opening number. There’s Kelly – a near-sighted duckling, a chorus line of puppies, performing bears, and Molly the cow and her calf who jump over the moon. Mother Goose makes a final appearance to close the show and say goodbye to her friends. Running Time: 30 minutes; Recommended: 0 – 4; Producer: Bob Brown Puppets.
Playhouse Puppetry Slam Saturday 7 – 8:15pm and 9-10:15pm
Leave the children at home! The Puppet Co. Playhouse presents its adult-friendly programming with another popular “Playhouse Puppetry Slam.” A ”Slam” is a showcase of vignettes presented by amateurs and professionals alike, performing both edgy and provocative works that might not be seen in any other venue. Content ranges from the raunchy and risqué to the tender and tear-jerking, in a fast-moving succession of both rough and polished acts. Limited seating. Age: 17 and up, 13-16 must be accompanied by an Adult or Guardian. (12 and under not admitted)
Disclosure: The Puppet Co. and Creative MoCo, of which both Glen Echo Park Partnership of the Arts and The Puppet Co. are members, are advertising partners of this website. However, in support of these performing arts non-profits in which I believe and which enrich local families’ lives, they receive a highly reduced advertising rate as well as whatever promotional support I can give.
On Saturday afternoon, the Maryland Youth Ballet presents a special matinee, geared especially towards children, Caroline Goes to the Seashore. Proving that young children have more ballet viewing options than simply the winter cracking of nuts, dancing candy and fighting mice, the Maryland Youth Ballet’s young dancers present this delightful spring production.
The story tells of young Caroline’s fantastic adventure at the seashore where she and her friends encounter characters such as friendly octopuses (octopi?), sea horses, angel fish, crabs, even King Neptune.
Caroline Goes to the Seashore by Maryland Youth Ballet
Saturday, April 28, 2012, 3:00-4:00 pm
Cultural Arts Center, Montgomery College, Silver Spring/Takoma Park
(Georgia Avenue at East-West Hwy)
Children: 12 & under: $10; Adults: $15
Tickets available in advance from Maryland Youth Ballet
926 Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20910 and day-of at the Cultural Arts Center if tickets remain (as of Tuesday morning, there are still tickets) Note: Tickets may only be purchased using cash or check.
Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30pm and 4pm through May 26 (the show extended through Memorial Day!), 4908 Auburn Avenue in Bethesda. (Special days: Princess Parade after 4:00 show on April 28, and a Wig Out Dance Party on May 18 after 7:00pm show– Get your wildest wig or wackiest hairstyle and boogie.)
Show your Tangled-loving kids the story of Rapunzel on the live stage, with lots of interesting twists that differ from both the Disney retelling and the Brothers Grimm classic. The Imagination Stage brings to life the book by Friends creators (yup, the Chandler-Monica-Rachel Friends) David Crane and Marta Kauffman, using four accomplished actors who sing and bring the colorful characters to life.
Actor Felicia Curry, a veteran of musicals such as Les Miserables at the Signature Theatre, is receiving glowing reviews for her portayal of Rapunzel. Curry is African American, and she tells The Washington Post, “It’s not what a princess usually looks like. Or sounds like. Or acts like. That’s a really new take on it, and it’s going to be a reminder to the kids that a princess can be anybody . . . whoever your prince may be.”
Tickets are $10-22 and available online. Rapunzel is recommended for children 4 and up.
Here’s a video sneak peek of the show!
International Day of the Book Festival in Kensington
Sunday April 22nd 2012, 11am-4pm, rain or shine
Howard Avenue, Old Town Kensington, Md
This street festival celebrates reading and community. Children’s activities include storytelling, art projects, a kids’ scavenger hunt, nature discoveries, free books and more. For the adults, there is live music, author events, readings….check out the whole lineup.
Visit a National Park for Free
Save a few bucks and visit a nearby national park for free. During National Park Week, April 21-29, 397 national parks offer free admission, all week long!
Trout Fishing in America at Black Rock Center of the Arts
Saturday, April 21 at 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM Trout Fishing in America, a beloved folk/rock duo in a concert for children and families, is playing BlackRock Center for the Arts‘ final family matinee concert of it’s 10th Anniversary Season. The eclectic folk/rock duo of Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet has won multiple Parents’ Choice and Indie awards and nominated for four Grammy Awards. But don’t let the whimsically-titled songs (“My Hair had a Party Last Night,” and “Hello, My Chicken Thinks He’s a Dog”) fool you: these very talented musicians have been hailed “a sublimely musical band” by the Boston Herald.
The performance is recommended for ages 4 and up.12901 Town Commons Drive, Germantown, MD. Tickets are $12. Purchase at the box office 240 -912-1058 or online at www.blackrockcenter.org
If you are the type who rushes to the hospital or house to see your family and friends’ newborns, then you really should rush with your kids to see these newborn kids (of the goat variety). We were able to pet one-day old baby goat triplets, as well as cuddle twin baby lambs. And more babies are being born at Clark’s Elioak Farm daily (check their Facebook page for birth announcements). A trip here is an idyllic spring family activity.
Clark’s Elioak Farm and the Enchanted Forest are Now Open! Open Tuesday-Sunday10 a.m to 4 p.m. through November 4, 2012. Tickets: $5.00 per person, no charge for Infants under 12 months. Show your AAA Card and pay $4.50 for all visitors entering the farm with you. Hayrides, pony rides and the cow train are each $2 extra per person.
My family and I love this place.
Read my full review, and check out more photos from our trip yesterday below.
Photo credit: Sam Kittner/Newseum
Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30pm and 4pm through May 26 (the show extended through Memorial Day!), 4908 Auburn Avenue in Bethesda. (Special days: Princess Parade after 4:00 show on April 28, and a Wig Out Dance Party on May 18 after 7:00pm show– Get your wildest wig or wackiest hairstyle and boogie.)
